Many people experience breathing problems, which may result in difficulty sleeping, in snoring, or in other more serious conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea. One treatment for such breathing disorders involves inserting a device into a user's mouth to extend the users lower jaw forward. By extending the user's lower jaw forward, such a device opens the user's breathing passage more fully and allows the user to breathe more easily through the user's nose and mouth.
As technology advances and users continue to demand increased performance, comfort, and ease of use, previous devices for improving breathing are increasingly inadequate. Previous devices for improving breathing include upper and lower arches connected using adjustment mechanisms that extend outside the user's mouth. Although these devices may treat some breathing problems, they are often unwieldy and lack the customizability, adjustability, and comfort necessary to serve a variety of users and treatment requirements. Because these devices extend outside of the user's mouth, the user's mouth is not allowed to substantially close, the user's breathing passage may be obstructed, and the users mouth may become excessively dry. Furthermore, adjustment mechanisms of previous devices often interfere with the natural position of the user's tongue or impinge on other soft tissues inside the user's mouth. Moreover, discomfort associated with these devices may cause users to use these devices less frequently than they otherwise would, further reducing performance. As a result of these and other deficiencies, previous devices for improving breathing are inadequate for the needs of many users.